Reliability's Path
by Pixie Flight 15
Summary: Being one of the youngest of the large Weasley-Potter clan, you become accustomed to being beside that one person who is always there, but when it is finally time to let go, what will happen to that other person...? (Lucy w. & Louis W.)
1. The Weasley-Potter Clan

**********Reliability's Path**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter nor will I ever own Harry Potter. Those rights belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

**A/N:** This is my first Harry Potter based fanfiction that I have been happy enough to upload. I have written for the pairing Scorpius M./Rose W. but never liked where the story went, so never uploaded. Hopefully you will all enjoy this first chapter.

**Summary: **Being one of the youngest of the large Weasley-Potter clan, you become accustomed to being beside that one person who is always there, but when it is finally time to let go, what will happen to that other person...?

* * *

**Chapter One:  
The Weasley-Potter Clan**

Being a part of a large family had always had its highs and lows, with a high being that you were never alone, and a low being that... well, you were never _left_ alone. Especially if you were the youngest in a family like the Weasley-Potter's.

Lucy and Louis Weasley were the two youngest in a sea of red and dark haired wizards, the 'babies' of the family as they had been reminded plenty of times at family get-togethers, and also best friends. Much like their older cousins had bonded with each other, both Lucy and Louis bonded and found comfort in being the same age as well as the issues of being the two youngest of the family, and the two became fast friends after realizing their similarities.

To say that they were inseparable was an understatement.

But being the youngest of such a large family also had its consequences, such as being the last pair to go to Hogwarts since the last bunch. That had been four years ago, a gap that even their parents had commented was pretty wide, but both Lucy and Louis were positive that they would be fine because they had each other. They had spent four years' worth of school days without their older siblings (well, other than the graduated lot like Teddy and Victoire) and seemed to do fine without them, so how could this be any different? It was only school, after all...

"Louis... we're going to Hogwarts!" Whispered Lucy in the early hours of the morning, her eyes wide as she held onto Louis hand tightly. Louis looked back at his cousin as he drew in a deep breath and nodded slowly from where he lay beside her, and he squeezed her hand gently as she smiled.

Both Lucy and Louis had been too nervous to sleep that night, so had decided to share the bed like they usually did when either one was troubled, but it didn't help at all. They just talked all night about Hogwarts, their expectations, the excitement of it all and the fear, ad even if they did not manage to sleep, the two of them found it comforting that they were able to talk about it together.

"Lucy... what if I don't get into Gryffindor like Vic or Dom? I'm not confident or brave like they are." Louis whispered worryingly, his hand tightening around Lucy's as she stared back at her cousin and best friend. She smiled and shuffled closer to her cousin, her free arm curling around his small frame and bringing him into a hug. Their faces now closer to each other, Lucy sighed and closed her eyes.

"No matter what houses we get put in, we'll be alright Louis... mum and dad won't mind, and neither will Aunt Fleur or Uncle Bill. They'll just be happy that we're happy and in the houses right for us." She replied gently, opening her eyes again to look at Louis worried expression. No matter what she said, she knew he would worry; he always did.

And so did she... she just so happened to hide it better than others.

".. Lucy?" Louis still looked worried, though less so than before. Lucy nodded, staring back at him intently. "What if we aren't in the same house? What will we do then?" He whispered, his voice trembling slightly. Louis was so dependent on his cousin, he couldn't be without her.

"Then I'll visit you all the time, and we will eat lunch together no matter what. I won't leave my best friend behind Louis, I promise." She told him confidently, her smile brightening as Louis smiled back gently, his hand squeezing hers tighter than before.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Lucy whispered back, her eyes closing as she slowly drifted to sleep...

x-x-x-x

"Lucy! Louis! Get up, it's time to get ready! We have to leave soon!" The shrill voice of Audrey Weasley, Lucy's own dear mother, broke the peaceful slumber of the two cousins as they yawned and reluctantly opened their eyes. It felt like they hadn't even slept.

Then again, it was their own fault for talking for most of the night.

"Come on you two, breakfast is ready and everyone is waiting for you! You don't want to miss the train, do you? Now get up!" Audrey cried once again, this time popping her head around the door to peer in to see if they were up. Sitting in the bed were two tired looking cousins who were yawning, but still holding hands. Rolling her eyes, Audrey couldn't help but wonder when they would grow out of sharing the same bed when they were worried, but she smiled nonetheless; she knew how close they were and how dependent her nephew Louis was on her youngest daughter.

"Last warning, you two, or all the bacon will be gone! James and Fred are already at the table." Audrey warned as she watched with amusement the looks of horror on the two youngest Weasley's faces. Before she could say another word, both Lucy and Louis were rushing downstairs as fast as they could to get to the kitchen where, as always, the Weasley-Potter clan were gathering in their sleepy states and taking up every inch of the kitchen.

It was always busy at The Burrow.

"Ah, LuLou, glad you could joins us!" Grinned James Potter, who had positioned himself at the head of the table as the two youngest cousins glowered at him. Beside him was his best friend and their cousin, Fred Weasley, who was making what looked like an egg, bacon, sausage and hash brown sandwich, who then looked up at the sound of the dreaded nickname that the two had given Lucy and Louis when they first became friends.

"Ah, fresh meat." Fred grinned, and bit into his monstrous sandwich with glee as Lucy rolled her eyes and pulled Louis over to the table where they sat beside their cousins Lily and Hugo, who were now in their fourth year of Hogwarts. Lily smiled at Lucy and affectionately began to ruffle her hair.

"Don't listen to whatever they have to say, you two." She smiled, letting her hand drift away from Lucy as she began buttering herself some toast, "They will only try and turn you to the dark side."

"Now why would we do _that_, Lil?" James chuckled, his eyes twinkling gleefully as he turned his gaze towards Lucy and Louis, as he prepared himself a bacon butty. "We only want to corrupt them a _little_ bit, you know? Show them the fun side of life and let them know that Hogwarts isn't all about studying." He explained in a delighted tone, only to get hit in the back of the head with what looked like a rolled up copy of _The Daily Prophet_ that Lily had possibly bewitched for that purpose.

"And aren't _you_ supposed to be studying for your N.E.W.T.S this year?" Huffed Lily as she bit down into her toast, earning a nasty look from both Fred and James, who were now in their final year of Hogwarts. Lucy and Louis exchanged smiles, thankful that they would be a little bit safer from the antics of their older cousins this year.

"Killjoy." Muttered Fred, only to quickly look back down at his giant sandwich once he saw the look of thunder on his younger cousins face. Lily shook her head and returned to her breakfast, though not before shooting a quick wink at her two youngest cousins who were extremely grateful for her help.

As Lucy and Louis started to dig into their own breakfast, the rest of their family started to enter; their uncle Harry and aunt Ginny came in with their son Albus, the younger brother of James and older brother of Lily, before uncle Ron and Hermione entered to join the table, soon followed by their oldest daughter and Hugo's sister, Rose. Lucy took note of the shiny badge pinned to Rose's shirt that she had received a year before; the prefect's badge, and watched as Rose sat beside her best friend from their family, Albus Potter. Those two were just as inseparable as both Lucy and Louis were.

The kitchen was soon filled with the hustle and bustle of the Weasley-Potter family once everyone was awake; parents were talking amongst each other, Grandma Weasley kept herself busy by cooking everyone extra food, and the older cousins were excitedly talking about meeting up with their friends that they hadn't seen over the holidays or, in the case of Lucy's older sister Molly and Louis' sister Dominique, showing off their shiny new Prefect and Head Girl badges to one another.

But for both Lucy and Louis, who both exchanged worried glances, the lively chitter-chatter and excitement of their family members that morning only made their nerves worsen, and so instead of eating, they simply held their hands together tightly beneath the table as they waited for time to pass quickly so that they could get to the Hogwarts Express, and get to Hogwarts as quickly as possible...

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**A/N:** And that is the first chapter. I apologize if it is too short, but I think that it makes an okay-ish introduction... and also, thank you very much for reading! I hope that you all enjoyed it, if not, then there is better fanfiction out there!


	2. All Aboard the Hogwarts Express

******Reliability's Path**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the Harry Potter world, franchise or characters. That privilege belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

**A/N: **Yaaay for introducing more characters in this chapter! We already know them, but eh!

* * *

**Chapter Two:  
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express**

"Now don't you two worry, we'll make sure that the trolls don't get you!" James told both Lucy and Louis mischievously as the large Weasley-Potter clan walked through the streets of muggle London with their trunks and cases, earning an exchange of worried glances from Louis to Lucy.

"James!" Snapped their aunt Ginny sharply, glaring at her oldest son, only to earn a cheeky smile back. She scowled and muttered something under her breath that neither Lucy or Louis could make out.

"Trolls?" Louis couldn't help but squeak, staring at Lucy with wide eyes as she shook her head, squeezing his hands to comfort him.

"He doesn't mean it, Louis..." She started, but Fred was quick to interrupt with a smile just as cheeky as his best friends.

"Don't be so sure about that, LuLou." He grinned, hands buried deep into his pockets as he stared at the two youngest cousins that he loved to taunt. "They exist, but you'll be safe. They keep the trolls locked in the Dungeons y'see, so that they don't attack... well, unless they break free, that is..." He started, earning a shocked gasp from Louis and a cold glare from Lucy, who clearly was not buying her older cousin's stories.

"Fred!" Ginny was once again glaring, but this time at her nephew. He simply shrugged as if he didn't understand why she had snapped at him, before sending a toothy grin towards Lucy and Louis. Lucy scowled, much like her aunt was.

"Don't listen to them, Louis. They only want to scare us." Lucy held onto her cousins hand tightly as he nodded meekly. Of course he knew that his cousins were only joking, they always made stuff up, but it still worried him, because what if there was some bit of truth in it?

Looking at Lucy, who was still glaring at their older cousins, Louis smiled. He was glad that he was with Lucy. She would look after him, he knew that. They were, after all, inseparable...

x-x-x-x

"Right everyone, line up, and make sure that no one see's you!" Grandma Weasley instructed as she started to put everyone into an orderly line starting from the youngest first as the Weasley-Potter clan stood on the platform of King's Cross Station, which was teaming with muggles, and now one large family.

"Right, everyone in order? Good. Audrey, Lucy, you first." Grandma Weasley stated briskly, checking around the station to make sure that the muggles surrounding them were too busy with their own business to notice what was going on around them. Looking up at her mother worriedly, Audrey gave Lucy a gentle smile as she held onto her hand tightly.

"Don't worry sweety, you'll be fine." She assured her youngest daughter, only to have James and Fred ruin any hopes of easing Lucy (and Louis') nerves.

"Yeah, unless you run into the wall and can't get in!" Fred chortled, earning a high five from James and a smack in the head from his mother, Angelina. Fred began to complain, only to be ignored as Louis gently took hold of Lucy's other hand and stared at her. Lucy smiled gently at him and nodded, holding onto his hand tightly before letting go of her mothers, and in the rush of the moment, took hold of her trolley that held her trunk and ran with Louis through the wall that lead them to Platform 9¾.

Stepping onto the platform had never felt so different. This was the first time that both Lucy and Louis had experienced the exhilarating feeling of pushing a trolley, _their trolleys_, through the wall that lead to a platform that would take them to the one place they had always wanted to go to. This was the first time that they would step onto the platform as students and not just the siblings of other students.

This time, it was _their_ year. They were finally going to Hogwarts.

"There you two are!" Called Audrey, running up to both Lucy and Louis as the rest of the family soon followed and joined them, "Lucy, you should not let go of my hand sweety! What you did was reckless..." Audrey was fretting as Lucy sighed, still holding onto Louis' hand tightly as her mother told her about the importance of safety and to never be reckless when around muggles. She had heard the story many times before, though it was mostly recounted to James and Fred by their mothers, but Lucy didn't care; she had wanted to get onto the platform as quickly as possible with Louis.

"Dear, don't scold her. I know she did her own thing, but if she doesn't do it by herself then when will she learn to start relying on her own instincts?" A deeper voice explained, and Lucy turned to see her father patting her mothers shoulder calmly. She smiled up at him, glad that he was there to talk her mother out of worrying for her, or worse... molly-coddle her.

"Yes, but darling, she is still a little girl. And what if the muggles saw her?" Audrey whispered, only to have the conversation quickly fall on deaf ears as Grandma Weasley and aunt Hermione began to order everyone about for hugs and kisses farewell and the general affair of instructions that came afterwards.

"Louis! Louis, come 'ere!" Cried Fleur, her thickly accented voice raising above the rest of the Weasley clans as she looked for her son. Louis stared at Lucy who returned the look, knowing that he was worried. She gave him a smile that she hoped was reassuring.

"I'll meet you in a minute... we'll board the train together, okay?" She told him, and with a slow nod, Louis let go of his best friends hand and ran towards his parents and sisters, who were waiting for him to receive hugs, kisses and instructions, much like Lucy would receive any minute now.

"Now, Lucy darling, this is your first year, so remember to be a good girl and write everyday..." Began Audrey,

"_Every_ day?" Lucy whined, only to earn a sharp look from her mother as her father chuckled gently. She sighed. "Fine... every day." She murmered, and her mother smiled.

"Work hard and try your best, okay? And be sure to talk to Molly if you have any problems."

"I will."

"And take care of yourself sweety..." Lucy caught the hitch in her mothers throat, and realised then that she would start crying. Pulling her daughter into a hug, Audrey held onto Lucy tightly and kissed her head as the tears trickled down her cheeks. Her youngest daghter was going to Hogwarts... and it was nerve -wracking, like it had been when Molly had first gone. Lucy could feel her mother trembling slightly through their embrace, an clutched her even tighter.

Even though her mother complained and sometimes seemed like she worried too much, Lucy knew that she would miss her terribly.

"I'll be good mum, I promise... I'll try and be a really good student like Molly." She whispered, and her mother smiled. Pulling away, Audrey gently kissed Lucy's forehead before standing straight and nodding.

"I know you will... keep safe darling, and remember to always write, and I will see you at Christmas, okay?" She smiled, then turned to Molly to hug and kiss her as Percy pulled his youngest daughter into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I'm going to miss you, Lucy." He said gently, kissing the top of her head just like her mother had done. Lucy nodded, burying her head into her fathers jacket.

"I'll miss you too, daddy." She whispered back. Percy soon pulled away and smiled at his youngest, holding onto her hands as they both heard Audrey telling Molly to "Look after your sister, and no don't give me that look, you _will_ take of her!" and they smiled. Sighing, Percy let go of Lucy's hands and stood straight, looking to where his older brother Bill was standing with his wife, Fleur, and their own children, before turning back to Lucy.

"Look after Louis, Lucy. I know he needs you." He told her gently, and she nodded. She knew that she needed to look after Louis, and she would. She would always look after him. "And Lucy," she looked up at her father who smiled, patting her head gently. "Be the best you can be... that's all I ask, okay?"

Smiling and nodding, Percy finally let Lucy go, and with one last quick hug and kiss from her mother, both Molly and Lucy ran towards the beautiful train that was the Hogwarts Express and boarded the train along with the rest of their family as their parents stood there, watching and waving. Smiling, Lucy got on the train with her older sister before being joined by Louis and Dominique, who, already used to the yearly train ride, lead their younger siblings through the carriages until they found an empty compartment as the train's horn blew, signalling for everyone to get on the train before it departed the station.

Settling into the empty compartment, both Lucy and Louis looked outside the window for their parents before waving to them as the train started to move away from the platform, slowly picking up speed as it did so. Once their families' faces were out of sight, both Dominique and Molly stood up and stared at Lucy and Louis.

"Right, we have duty to attend to in the Prefect's compartment," Dominique stated, as if she was of official importance, "You two will need to get into your robes before we arrive, okay?"

"You... you won't be sitting with us?" Louis asked, surprised as Dominique nodded.

"Sadly, no. As Head Girl, and as Molly is a Prefect, we are both required in the Prefect's compartment. It's the rules." She explained, but gave the two a soft smile. "You'll be fine, and if in doubt, just go and find Albus or Hugo; they aren't prefects, and luckily they won't taunt you like James and Fred do, but you should be alright."

"Anyway, we need to be off now, but we will see you at the Sorting Ceremony! Good luck!" Dominique winked, and with that she left the compartment as Mlly, smiling, turned to Lucy and ruffled her hair.

"See you two at the Gryffindor table!" She called, ready to leave as Lucy looked up, eyebrows raised.

"But what if we don't get into Gryffindor?" She asked, bewildered at her sisters confidence in where they would be placed. Molly simply laughed as she stepped out of the compartment, as if Lucy had told her a joke.

"Of course you will! _All_ Weasley's are Gryffindor's, you know that!" And with that said, Molly was gone in the blink of an eye, much like Dominique, leaving both Lucy and Louis alone.

"... Wow." Louis whispered. Lucy could only nod. "We're going to Hogwarts..."

"I know."

"Are you nervous, Lucy?"

"Yeah, I'm really nervous Louis... it's actually really scary." Lucy turned to stare at her best friend and cousin, their hands still clasped tightly together. She trembled slightly, Louis noticed. Lucy was barely ever scared, so for him this was a first. "What if..." She started, her voice hitching slightly. "What if I don't get into Gryffindor? What will Molly think, then?"

"Who cares what Molly thinks?" Louis whispered, but he knew that Lucy did. Lucy looked up to her older sister, and he knew that Molly expected Lucy to follow her... a bit like their father, actually. Knowing this, Louis gently squeeze his cousins hand and smiled. For once, he was the one comforting her, and it felt a little weird for the both of them.

"Don't worry, Lucy... wherever you go, as long as you're happy, everyone will be fine. After all, the hat chooses where you fit the best, right?" He whispered, and Lucy nodded. She knew she had told Louis this only the night before, but even so, it was still daunting, especially when you had such a smart sister like Molly who everyone praised and looked up to...

"Excuse me, can we sit here?" An almost airy voice called, breaking Lucy and Louis' thoughts suddenly as the door to the compartment stood open. Looking up, the two found themselves facing another pair who looked their age.

"Sure, come in." Lucy smiled, moving towards the window along with Louis as one of the two closed the compartment door, and they sat opposite both Lucy and Louis. Looking at them closely, they soon realised that the two visitors were identical twins who, for some reason, looked strangely familiar.

"Is it your first year at Hogwarts?" One of the twins asked curiously, staring at both Lucy and Louis with a look that seemed to be a mix of curiosity and recognition. Both Lucy and Louis nodded, unsure of what to do or say to the twins. The one who had asked the question smiled and nodded, looking at his twin.

"It's our first year too. I can't wait to be honest, Hogwarts seems like fun. It'll be nice to meet the ghosts and all the magical creatures, don't you think?" He asked, turning to smile towards Lucy and Louis who simply nodded, unsure of just who the twins were whilst also trying to remember their faces, "But then there's the Nargles; I worry about them. Our mum warned us that they might steal our shoes... they like human things, you see." He stated, only to receive a look of confusion from both Lucy and Louis.

"Sorry, but what are Nargles?" Louis asked curiously, earning what seemed to be an exchange of knowing smiles between the twins. Finally, the quieter of the two spoke up.

"Nargles are fairies that infest mistletoe and take things if you aren't careful. They're pesky creatures, but you can ward them off, but just so you know, be careful." He explained as his brother nodded, smiling as both Lucy and Louis, slightly confused and wondering just who they had invited into their compartment, nodded as if they understood. A brief exchange of glances proved to each other that neither one knew what was going on.

"So er... what are your names?" Lucy asked quickly, wondering just who they were and why she recognized their faces, "I'm Lucy Weasley, and this is Louis Weasley... we're cousins." She smiled politely as the twins nodded.

"We know." The talkative one smiled. This was not surprising for either Lucy or Louis, of course, because everyone knew who their parents were. "Our parents talk to each other a bit, though not for a while since our parents started traveling and looking for Dabberblimps in Devon." He explained, once again losing both Lucy and Louis.

"I'm Lysander Scamander by the way, and this is my brother, Lorcan Scamander. We're twins." He said, and both Lucy and Louis finally realised why they knew their faces; they were the children of Luna Lovegood, a good friend of their Uncles Harry and Ron.

It also explained why they talked about weird creatures, too.

"Oh!" Both Lucy and Louis exclaimed at the same time, staring at each other then back at the twins. It had been a while since they had seen the twins, probably around four or five years ago, before Molly was in Hogwarts at least. Luna and her husband used to frequently visit the Burrow or family get-togethers, though the two cousins never remembered really talking to either one of the twins.

They had always been a bit different to everyone else, and kept to themselves as well it seemed.

Of course it seemed that they were a little different now... well, at least Lysander was. He was a lot more talkative than what Lucy remembered.

"I didn't know that you were in our year." Said Lucy thoughtfully as she stared at the Scamander twins, wondering what they were thinking. "Then again, we haven't seen each other for a while, have we?"

"No, our parents went on an expedition you see. So, we did too." Lorcan explained as he smiled. "It was fun, but we had to come back to start the school year."

"Sadly we couldn't find any of the Dabberblimps, but mum and dad are going to look again whilst we're in school, so if they find anything they will send us a message." Lysander continued as both Lucy and Louis nodded along, listening to the bizarre stories that the twins were telling them.

Needless to say, the journey to Hogwarts was an interesting one, and by the time the Hogwarts Express had stopped at the Hogsmeade platform, both Lucy and Louis were a lot more knowledgeable on the subject of Nargles and Dabberblimps...

* * *

**A/N: **And so I introduced the Scamander twins! Though Lorcan is quieter than I imagined, but oh well... I also found them hard to write for because of how they are... haha.

I am also falling for James and Fred, weirdly enough. I actually did not aim to make their characters talk as much as they do! Anyway, thank you for reading or taking a look at my story!


	3. The Sorting Ceremony

******Reliability's Path**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or the characters used within this story. All rights and ownership go to J.K. Rowling.**  
**

**A/N:** I had a fun time writing certain parts of this chapter, mostly certain dialogue pieces that made me love James and Fred more and makes me want to write about them more, too. I also slipped in a little quote that some of you might recognize. Also, I did have a hard time with a certain part of this chapter, but eh.

* * *

**Chapter Three:  
The Sorting Ceremony**

"They're a bit weird, Lucy." Muttered Louis as the two cousins walked up the steps towards the giant castle that was Hogwarts. The two had shared a boat with the Scamander twins, and had watched as some poor soul fell into the water after leaning over the boat too far, and experienced a few more adventurous and imaginative stories that their parents had told them that they completely believed. For Lucy, it had been quite entertaining, but for Louis it was a little bit bizarre.

"I know, but their stories are pretty interesting..." Lucy whispered back, looking up at the looming castle as Louis, looking up too, trembled and grabbed hold of his best friends hand. The doors would soon open, and they would enter what would be their second, or technically third if you counted The Burrow, home. Louis swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I wonder how many Nargles live in here?" A voice came up from behind them. Louis groaned quietly when he realised who it was, though Lucy didn't seem to mind too much. She had grown accustomed to their weirdness pretty quickly, it seemed.

"I don't think that you should be worrying about Nargles right now..." Louis muttered, but it was barely audible so only Lucy could hear. Sighing, she turned to look at the twins who were now standing behind her. Giving them a reassuring smile and Louis' hand a gentle squeeze, she spoke to three of them, trying to keep her voice as calm as she could despite the nerves that were building up inside of her at that very moment.

"I wonder what the Sorting Hat will say? Apparently it talks to you to try and find out where you want to go." She said, watching as the doors befoe them slowly began to open, and everyone filed in after the teacher who was leading them towards the castle and into the warmth that the open doors brought along with the welcoming light. Louis bit his lip as he pressed closer to Lucy, their clasped hands hidden beneath their cloaks.

"He'll probably say you're brave, Lucy... and perfect for Gryffindor. You've always been brave, just like everyone else." He said back, but Lucy could only look ahead. She didn't agree with him, of course she didn't... she wasn't like everyone else. They were all brave and confident. The only reason why Louis thought that she was brave was because he looked up to her, and because she wanted him to think that she was brave.

But the Sorting Hat would know otherwise, wouldn't it? The Sorting Hat knew what others didn't.

"So are you though, Louis." She whispered, trying to reassure him. "We'll both be in Gryffindor, together, right?" She then smiled as she squeezed his hand gently again before they finally stepped through the large oak doors that lead them into Hogwarts Castle...

x-x-x-x

Entering the Castle had only been the first part of the nerve-wracking experience the fresh batch of first years were experiencing; being sorted was the second part. Standing beside each other, still holding onto each other tightly, were Lucy and Louis, who searched the halls for their many cousins and siblings that were sat at the Gryffindor table. From where they stood, it looked like a good majority was made up of their family for that one house.

Suddenly, being sorted became even more daunting. Their cousins were watching... and so would everyone else.

"Lucy... what if I get put in Slytherin?" Louis whisper sounded frightened. Lucy could only squeeze his hand and speak to him as names were called out for the Sorting, and one by one the frightened first year students were relieved of their fear, and put in their respective houses.

"You'll be okay, no matter what house you get put in... Promise. I promise."

"You won't hate me if we get sorted differently?" He asked her. She shook her head and squeezed his hand again. She so badly wanted it to be over with, if only for her best friends sake.

"I could never hate you, Louis. Even if you _are_ a Slytherin... you'll be the best Slytherin ever." She returned her cousins gaze as he nodded slowly and smiled, thankful that he was there with Lucy. She always reassured him and made sure that he was alright, no matter what.

"Scamander, Lorcan!" The teacher calling out the register cried, is beady eyes watching as Lorcan passed through the remnants of what was once a bustling line of new students. There were few left to be sorted, Lucy noted, and it seemed quite scarce now.

Both Lucy and Louis watched as Lorcan Scamander was called up to the sorting hat. Watching him stride towards the front, the two Weasley's noticed that he seemed quite at ease. Then again, both the Scamander twins seemed to be quite at ease with everything they did. Even in the boat they weren't fretting over the fact that the Giant Squid could eat them.

Lucy could only guess that it was because they kept at their own pace and didn't really care about much other than Nargles and other weird creatures.

They watched as the hat was settled on Lorcan's head, and after a moments pause and a still silence from the Great Hall, the hat finally called out...

"_HUFFELPUFF!"_

The room burst into cheers from where the Huffelpuff table sat, and Lorcan, looking pretty pleased with himself, walked towards the table where he was welcomed by his fellow students and new housemates.

"Ah, I hear that Huffelpuff's are great finders." Lysander said from behind Lucy and Louis. They both nodded, though they were not too sure about the Huffelpuff house traits, though they knew one or two from what their family had told them. Of course the one that they knew the most just so happened to be Gryffindor, but then again _all_ the Weasley's were in that house...

"Scamander, Lysander!" The teacher calling the register boomed. Lucy turned to see that Lysander had a smile on his face as he walked past her, a little wave following suit as she waved back. She wondered to herself if he would be placed in Hufflepuff alongside his brother...

"_RAVENCLAW!"_ The hat cried out, surprising both Lucy and Louis as the Ravenclaw table burst into cheers and applause. The cousins both knew that it wasn't exactly uncommon for siblings to be placed separately, but they knew that in general, family members were placed together (as such with their own family), so it was curious to them both that the twins were separated into different houses. This, however, seemed to not faze Lysander in the least, as he was beaming as he made his way to his new house table.

"Is he really that smart?" Louis muttered to himself more than anyone, but Lucy heard it and tried to stop a chuckle. She knew that she was never meant to judge a book by its cover, her mother had always taught her that, but she knew where Louis was coming from; the Scamander twins seemed a bit dotty and more air-headed than they did smart.

"Weasley, Louis!" Unaware that their names had come up, and that the line had dwindled some more, Louis stiffened by Lucy's side as she stared at him. He was scared, she knew he was, but he needed to be sorted. So she pushed him towards the front, and let go of his hand despite knowing that he was terrified.

"Go on Louis... you can do it. You'll be okay." She encouraged, whispering to him as she pushed him forwards some more. Whilst she did so, the two youngest Weasley cousins could hear the cheers from the Gryffindor table that were those of their own cousins, encouraging Louis to get sorted.

"Yeah, Louis! That's my man there, YEAH!" Lucy swore that was Fred crying out proudly. There was then a bang of what she could only guess was silverware against silverware, and another cry of appreciation.

"Weasley pride! Come on son, get Sorted!" That had to be James, Lucy thought to herself. What an idiot.

But thankfully, it seemed to work, because Louis was going to the stool on his own, and though he was stumbling a lot, he finally managed to sit himself down on the stool and the hat was placed on top of his head.

To Lucy, it felt like a lifetime that the hat was on his head, but in reality it was only moments before the hat cried out...

"_GRYFFINDOR!"_

Lucy felt her stomach drop as she heard the eruption of cheers from the Gryffindor table and the Weasley-Potter clan cheer proudly and loudly. She wanted to cheer too, but she knew that she couldn't, not yet, because next up was...

"Weasley, Lucy!" The teacher boomed, and all eyes were now on her. She bit her lip. She didn't have Louis there to hold her hand and encourage her, she knew that, but she needed to be brave... she needed to be brave for Louis, and that was all that mattered...

"LUCY! Come on Lucy!" She could hear James and Fred chanting, and managing to coax the rest of their family into chanting too, as she walked towards the stool, calming her nerves as she did so. She needed to be brave, she needed to brave, she needed to be...

Her hands trembling, Lucy slowly sat herself on the stool once she had reached it, and felt the hat being placed on top of her head. The old, fraying fabric covered her eyes and encased her in darkness, completely shutting her away from the Great Hall. She couldn't see the faces of her family or anyone else. She was completely locked out.

"_Well well well... another Weasley I see... how interesting. Your family never fails to deliver, do they?" _A gentle, silky voice reached her ears. She stiffened at what it said, though she knew it was true; there were so many of them.

"_Well, this is interesting... a Weasley at war with oneself. Brave to a degree, that is very true, though also doubtful of your own abilities... you also want to be different. Not an unreasonable trait, given the amount of family you have, however you also seem to be at war with yourself. To be different, or follow in your families footsteps and be just like them? Well now, this is a difficult situation. Not your typical Weasley..."_

Lucy felt her stomach turn, wondering what was going on. Where would the hat place her if she was at war with herself?

"_Mind you, you would make a great Gryffindor you know? You are quite chivalrous, though your loyalty greatly outweighs that... but then there is that... ah, yes, well then it has to be..."_

Lucy felt her breathing quicken as she waited, anticipation, fear and excitement rising as she awaited the words that the Hat would cry out. The house she would be in, where she would be placed for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. She would be in...

"_RAVENCLAW!"_

Lucy could hear the screams from the Ravenclaw table as the hat was pulled off her head, her cheeks red from the growing anticipation and fear she had felt. Looking around the hall, she saw that the Ravenclaw table were standing, cheering and clapping... for her. Because she was placed in Ravenclaw. Other tables were clapping too, like they had with previous students.

But what about her cousins? Looking around, Lucy found them. Her family were there, applauding with everyone else, smiling as she stepped down from the stall and made her way to the Ravenclaw table, trembling and smiling as she did so. She could see Molly, crying, as she applauded her little sister getting into Ravenclaw. Even thought she wasn't in Gryffindor, they were all proud of her.

But once all the congratulations were finished, the pats on the backs and handshakes given, Lucy sat down beside Lysander Scamander as he smiled proudly, and as the last few students were sorted into their respective houses, she could not help but realize that the only person who did not look happy for her placement was Louis...

* * *

**A/N: **_"...Huffelpuff's are great finders..." - Lysander_ is a quote from **A Very Potter Musical** and I love it. I had to use it! I do not own this quote (disclaimer whooo!)

**Next up:**

When I was writing out what the Sorting Hat was saying to Lucy, I felt a bit lost with where to put her. My original idea, which actually still stands, was to put her in Ravenclaw, however when I was figuring out the reasons why she would be in a different house, I came to realise that Lucy seemed to have the qualities of a Hufflepuff as well. She is extremely loyal to Louis, one of the reasons why she wanted to be with him so much regardless of their house statuses, however she also wanted to different to the rest of her family and break away from the mold that had been fitted for the Weasley-Potter clan. When looking at the qualities of each house, I realised that Lucy, whilst loyal, had a strong desire to be different, an individual in a sea of red and black haired family members. She is also smart, being the daughter of Percy Weasley and all, so I finally felt that I was putting her in the right place, somewhere where she could be an individual rather than like the rest of her family. I also think that her sudden sorting into Ravenclaw possibly had something to do with what Louis wanted when he was sorted, though that is a totally different matter...

Random authors note out of the way, thank you for reading this chapter and even bothering to look at the story! Also, this is the penultimate (second before last) chapter in this story. It's so short, my goodness! Anyway, thank you once again!


	4. Adjusting Pathways

**Reliability's Path  
**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor will I ever own, Harry Potter's characters or the world of Harry Potter. These are the creations of an amazing writer, J.K. Rowling.

**A/N: **This is the last chapter in this short story. I had a lot of fun writing this story and I am happy that I have completed my first Harry Potter fanfiction, even if it didn't go in the direction that I originally hoped it would... I also think that this was one of the chapters I enjoyed writing the most, and also the one that I hated the most, because of the dialogue... it's confusing.

It is also a lot shorter than I hoped it would be, but really, where better to start than a short story, aye? Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Four:  
Adjusting Pathways  
**

The first hour of being in the dining hall was spent in agony for Lucy Weasley; whilst everyone around her was joyously eating food and making new friends or greeting old ones, she was sat there wondering why Louis had looked so disappointed when she had sat down at the Ravenclaw table after the hat had sorted her. Did he feel betrayed? They had always been together, ever since they were small, so Lucy could see why he was upset, but it worried her. It worried her deeply.

"Aren't you hungry, Lucy?" A voice broke through the young Weasley girls thoughts as she turned her head, her eye contact with the rowdy Gryffindor table breaking. Blinking absentmindedly, she faced the person beside her who had asked her the question. It was Lysander Scamander, and her was staring at her in a curious manner.

"Er no... not really..." She replied, though that was a bit of a lie; she was in fact hungry, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to eat whilst she was worried for Louis. She needed to know how he felt, and why he looked so disappointed. She needed to make sure that he was okay and that she was still there, no matter what house they happened to be in...

"He will be fine, you know." Lysander commented, his voice dreamy as Lucy stared back at him, wondering what he meant. Lysander smiled, reaching out for a pumpkin pasty that sat in front of him. "Your cousin Louis will be fine. He just needs to adjust to the idea that you won't always be there." He was smiling dreamily again, as if he was lost in his own thoughts. Lucy frowned, wondering how someone so dotty could be so perceptive to what she was thinking.

"You two just need to adjust. You can still spend time together, but you need to learn how to live without each other, too... maybe that's why the Sorting Hat chose Ravenclaw..." Lysander was going off into his own little world, his eyes slowly fixating on the ceiling as Lucy began to frown even more, watching as Lysander slowly started to chew on the pumpkin past in his hand.

"But you don't know Louis... you don't know _us_, Me and Louis, we have always been together..." She stopped, finally realizing what Lysander was getting at. He was in the same boat as her. His twin, his brother and best friend, was in a separate house. Lorcan was in Hufflepuff, and he was in Ravenclaw, much like how she and Louis were now (Though Louis was, of course, placed in Gryffindor and not Hufflepuff). They had both been separated from the person they were closet to, their best friends.

"Will he... will Lorcan be okay without you?" She asked Lysander quietly, unsure of how he felt about the separation. The twins were, undoubtedly, a bit hard to read because of their dottiness. Lysander returned his gaze to Lucy and smiled, as if he knew just what she was thinking. It was a bit eerie, Lucy thought to herself.

"Yes... Lorcan's better at making friends than I am, so he'll be okay... Oh look, Cauldron cakes. Do you want one?" Lysander trailed off, smiling at the fresh batch of cakes that had appeared on the table just then. He reached out for one of the treats and offered it Lucy happily, staring at her with another dreamy gaze. Staring at the cauldron cake, and then back at Lysander, Lucy couldn't help but return her neighbor's smile at the simple gesture. Despite his dottiness and different outlook on life, Lysander was actually a really sweet kid Lucy realized.

"Yeah... thanks." She whispered gently, taking the cake from his hand and biting into it as Lysander smiled and took one for himself, biting into it happily with a rather content look on his face. Staring at him, Lucy couldn't help but feel a lot better with the current situation. Swallowing the bit of cake she had been eating, she watched Lysander before speaking up.

"You know what?" She paused thoughtfully, giving Lysander time to register that she was talking to him, "You're going to be okay too, Lysander... you're pretty good at making friends yourself." and with a smile, Lucy went back to eating her cauldron cake as Lysander watched her, taking in what Lucy had just said...

x-x-x-x

Dinner was almost over, and as everyone scraped away the last remnants of food on their plates, Lucy Weasley stood up and walked away from her house table. She knew that she needed to see her cousin to make sure that he was fine, or she wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

"Lucy! Glad to finally see you at the Gryffindor table!" James joked the moment he saw his younger cousin making her way towards them. He grinned, raising his goblet aloft as Fred copied. "To Lucy! The _only_ Weasley Ravenclaw!"

"Shut up." Muttered Lucy, her cheeks growing red as she made her way towards Louis, but with every step she took, her family members were set on congratulating her for making it into Ravenclaw house. She knew that they were all proud of her, especially Molly, but she also wished that they would congratulate her after she had talked to Louis.

Who, she noticed, still looked pretty unhappy. Lucy began to feel guilty once again.

Once congratulations had been given, Lucy pushed her older cousin Dominique out of the way and sat next to Louis, staring at him as he poked at his food. He hadn't eaten much like her, she realized. She sighed

"I'm sorry I'm not in the same house as you, Louis... but the Hat..."

"I know. It put you where you're meant to be." Lucy heard him breath in deeply. She wondered what he was thinking. "I just thought that... you know, it would be _me_ in another house and not... well, not you."

"I didn't think that I would be put in another house, either." She whispered back, understanding him completely. If she had to be completely honest with herself though, Lucy herself had feared that Louis would be placed in another house.

The tables had really turned though, it seemed.

"I always thought that you would be in Gryffindor... you're brave and confident. I'm not... I want to be, though." Louis muttered, going back to poking at his plate as Lucy stared at him, wondering to herself. Was that why Louis had been put in Gryffindor, because he wanted to become brave and confident?

"But when I was being sorted, I heard the Hat talking to me... it said I was scared, but that I could become better." Louis finally looked up at Lucy, and she noticed that she had been crying. "And then I asked it if it could place me somewhere where I didnt have to rely on people... I asked it if I could go to a house where I didn't need to rely on you any more." He whispered, his voice soft and wavering as Lucy blinked, realizing why he had looked so unhappy.

Louis had been feeling guilty, because he had wanted to become independent, and then Lucy was placed in Ravenclaw... he had felt like it was his fault.

Throwing her arms around him, Lucy wrapped him into a hug and smiled gently. She was happy that he had worried, happy that he didn't hate her, but she knew that she needed to make sure he knew where she stood, and that nothing was his fault.

"It's not your fault, Louis. I was put into Ravenclaw for other reasons... I could have been put into Gryffindor though, I was given that choice." She whispered, holding on to her cousin tightly as he returned the embrace. The two younger cousins were unaware of the Weasley-Potter audience they had somehow gathered during their conversation, watching with bated breath. "But never blame yourself... we were put in our houses because that is where we belong, not because you wanted to stop relying on me."

Pulling away, Lucy smiled at Louis, and he returned the smile weakly as he nodded, rubbing his eyes on the back of his new Hogwarts robes. Staring at her cousin, Lucy remember what Lorcan had told her about adjusting and being away from each other. Maybe that was what they really needed; to stop relying on each other all the time.

"We need to adjust to living without each other... we've always been together, but we don't know what to do any more if we're not together... so maybe being in separate houses is for the better." Lucy explained gently, patting Louis' head as he stared intently at her, listening closely. "We can still see each other, we just won't always be together now. Maybe this is why you are in Gryffindor, Louis, so that you can become braver without me."

"Spoken like a true Ravenclaw..." Molly whispered from behind them, a proud sniff following as both James and Fred rolled their eyes in response.

"Uncle Percy will be _so_ proud of his smart ickle Lucy, getting into Ravenclaw all by herself." Fred muttered, only to find a ladle flying at his head courtesy of Lucy's own older sister.

"But what about you, Lucy?" Louis whispered, staring up at his best friend curiously. "Why did you get put into Ravenclaw? Not even Rose or Molly were put in that house, and they're really smart." He was questioning her, and Lucy had to pause for thought whilst also trying to ignore the drama behind her.

"Oh, so this means that Lucy's smarter than Rose and Molly? Awesome! Now I don't have to feel so dumb or inferior!" Hugo said, only to earn a glare from his older sister.

"Idiot, that means you should feel even _more_ inferior! An 11 year old is smarter than you!" Hissed Rose, though this didn't seem to faze Hugo, however it did amuse the rest of the family greatly.

As the others laughed and talked behind them, Lucy bit her lip thoughtfully, remember what the hat had said to her.

"I think it's because I wanted to be different. I didn't want to follow in everyone else's footsteps." She answered, turning her gaze towards the Ravenclaw table where Lysander sat, eating some treacle tart and telling other students stories of what she guessed were Nargles and other weird creatures he liked to think were real. Turning back to Louis, she smiled. "I think that being a part of Ravenclaw will let me be an individual and do what I want instead of what everyone else wants. I would have never fit into Gryffindor like you will, Louis."

There was a pause between them as they stared at each other, and slowly Louis took hold of Lucy's hand and smiled gently, nodding. He understood now, and so did she. She didn't need to worry, because Louis was in Gryffindor. Their family would look after him, and he would become more confident and braver. She knew he would, because when he had asked the Hat to put him somewhere where he could grow, he had already stepped out of his comfort zone and chosen to become better than he was before.

And Lucy couldn't be any more proud of him, she realized.

x-x-x-x

With dinner finished, the Prefects began to call all the new students to their respective house tables and to form an orderly line as the gave instructions. Returning to the Ravenclaw table, Lucy felt better with herself now that she and Louis knew why they were in their respective houses. As she walked up to her table, she smiled widely as she spotted Lysander who was standing and getting into line with their fellow house mates.

"Oh, hello. Did it go well?" Lysander asked once he spotted Lucy as she stood beside him, nodding.

"Yeah. Everything's okay now." She replied. Lysander nodded, content as he allowed his gaze drift to the Prefect who was instructing the newly placed Ravenclaw students about their House and the rules as Lucy, half-listening, stood beside Lysander happily. Louis was going to be okay, and so was she, because change was good and it would help them. Slowly, they would learn to adapt, but they would still be together.

But sometimes it was good to finally let go of that feeling of reliability, because it was their time to become their own people. For them, it was time to finally let go of each others hands and walk their separate paths.

And Lucy Weasley wouldn't have it any other way...

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for reading my first Harry Potter fanfic, I know that it isn't brilliant but I am happy that I was able to finally finish a story! I never thought that it would be based on friendship, and I never imagined writing about how close these two cousins/best friends are, but there we go, that's writing for you...

Again, thank you for reading!


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